Hello Again
by Ember Mage
Summary: Post-Digimon Savers: Five years after the Digimon incident, Yoshino is slowly moving on with all aspects of her life except love. Why is she hesitant on starting over with this love, even if it's rekindled?


**Disclaimer:** No property of _Digimon Savers_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to TOEI ANIMATION Co., Ltd.

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**Hello Again  
Chapter 1**

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"O-_ho_, whatcha got there?"

Yoshino turned around just in time to find a pair of mascara-lined dark eyes peering over her shoulder. Surprised at the sudden proximity, she nearly dropped her cellular phone.

"E-mail from boyfriend?" The owner of the eyes, Miki, smirked at her startled expression. The sunset sun brought a golden glow to her features.

"Don't do that," hissed Yoshino, although she could tell by the mischevious grin on the older woman that she thought she was talking about her private messages. The action was enough to make her unconsciously rub her arms. Once Miki straightened her posture, she continued, "It's from Thomas."

"_Thomas_?" Miki brightened, imminent teasing apparently forgotten. "How is he?"

Exactly the same time she said that, Megumi, from the other side of the room, perked up and ran over excitedly, exclaiming, "What did he say? It's been a _long time_ since I've heard from him!" Yoshino could only smile at the sudden attention, and was somewhat relieved that the two weren't pressing her with questions about any dates she was going on. Any of the _nonexistant_ dates with _nonexistant_ boyfriends she was going on.

"He's been really busy," Yoshino informed her colleagues, "but other than that, he's fine. His sister's been doing great, too."

"That's good!" squealed Megumi, clasping her hands delightedly.

Miki, on the other hand, looked a little unsatisfied. "Is that all he wrote?" she asked disappointedly, her pretty eyebrows knitting into a sad frown.

Yoshino sadly nodded. "Yeah. He replies only about once every two weeks, and usually he doesn't have that much to say."

"He's always been private," added Megumi with a melancholic sigh, collapsing onto a nearby chair. Her wide, brown eyes glanced up at Yoshino. "He's a close friend of yours, though, and he talks to you more than anyone else."

At this compliment, normally, Yoshino would swell with pride on the inside for having such a strong connection to another person. However, she shook her head. _Well, that isn't really the truth,_ was what she had wanted to say. It was true that the clandestine Thomas was a friend — he was her partner in DATS from the very beginning, and they shared many memories of rounding up rogue Digimon, only it was more like Thomas doing the attacking and Yoshino giving him adequate transportation and doing whatever he had ordered her to do. Still, even though he was someone she could depend on, he wasn't her "best" friend — that title had to go to Masaru Daimon, the boy who had saved the decaying relationship between the Human and the Digital Worlds. It had been five years since the portal between the two worlds had been closed, and no one else heard from Masaru again, but for some odd reason, Yoshino had the feeling he was doing fine — maybe even better than herself. His bloodlust made the turbulent Digital World the perfect place for him to dwell in.

Although the life of chasing down Digimon became a distant memory to her, Yoshino still had a career that was just as adrenaline-rushing as her previous job at DATS — she even worked with the same people — but missed the company of her partner, Lalamon, who had been almost like a sister to her. As Yoshino eyed Megumi and Miki carefully, she envied them for being able to keep their spirits up even though they, too, were separated from their Digimon partners in the same manner — especially when they regretted not spending more time with each other.

Her thoughts were cut off when Miki sharply asked, "Is he going to come back to Japan anytime soon?"

It took Yoshino a second to remember that the three had been discussing Thomas, and in response, shook her head. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "His work is really tough and he's dedicated to it."

"That's sad," breathed Megumi, but suddenly grinned. "What if _we_ visit him instead?"

Miki glanced across the room from the corner of her eyes, catching Officer Satsuma busy at his desk in her line of vision. "That's a good idea," she started carefully, "but not for now. Maybe when we all have work off?"

Megumi jumped up. "That's right!" she exclaimed, reminded of their job. "Are any of you on duty tonight?"

"Not tonight," answered Yoshino firmly.

The blonde officer spun to Miki. "You?" she asked.

"Can't," Miki chimed with a secretive smile. There was a dreamy twinkle that danced amusingly in her eye. "I've got a date tonight."

The reaction was impressively explosive, and Yoshino was sure Miki had expected this commotion. "_What!_" shrieked Megumi in surprise, and eyes from the other remaining officers turned to them. Even Satsuma had put his stack of papers down just to stare.

"Megumi, what happened?" the head chief bellowed, but he could only give up questioning Megumi, as she didn't hear him and peppered the taller woman with interrogations.

"When did this happen? _Who_ is it?" sputtered Megumi impatiently, eager to know the details. "How come _I_ didn't know of this?"

Yoshino knew that Miki was secretly beaming at capturing her attention, for the dark-haired lady simply pursed her lips, amused, and answered, "Secret."

"No way!" gasped the other woman hopelessly, but her pout was replaced with a snicker. "Is he Ivan?"

Miki turned pale, her moment ruined. "Hey, that's not funny!"

Yoshino let out a chuckle she couldn't hold back. "_I_ thought it was."

"_Yoshino_!" Miki whirled on her.

"But seriously, how come you have a date and I don't?" Megumi looked somewhat upset. "We even went to a goukon together!"

In other situations, people would be serious towards Megumi's bad luck in love — her shame of being 25 with no steady boyfriend was evident — but Yoshino could only laugh quietly. She reached over and patted her friend's arm, soothingly reassuring, "I'm sure you'll find a boyfriend too. You're really pretty." It was true — Yoshino was not the one to mind looks so much, but she actually thought Megumi was attractive, although in a more different way than the sultry, mature Miki. Her doe-like eyes and rounded smile made her image very cute, and her enthusiasm was contagious.

A hint of the old Megumi came back when she straightened up at the compliment, glowing proudly at the hours she spent styling her hair and applying her make-up. With a quick exhale, she answered, "You're right. I'm going to work harder!" She pumped both of her fists for emphasis. Her attention turned towards Yoshino as she leaned onto her desk, beautifully-shaped hands forward. "What about you, Yoshino?"

The messy-haired woman pushed her chair back. "What do you mean, about me?" she questioned.

"Unless you have a boyfriend already?" Megumi's voice was now flat.

"What?" Panic found its way into Yoshino's voice. "What are you asking?"

Megumi leaned closer. "So you _don't_ have a boyfriend?" She shrugged. "I thought you might have, since you're so quiet when it comes to talking about boyfriends."

"Maybe because you get so hyped up," Miki replied calmly. "That would explain why she's so reluctant to reveal anything to you. You'd be all over asking to be the first to meet her boyfriend."

"You're no better!" Megumi shot back comically. "You're just as interested as I am, and you _so_ know it too!"

"I never said I wasn't." Miki's eyes gleamed impishly as she giggled delicately behind a hand.

In response to Megumi's piercing stare, Yoshino waved a hand uncomfortably in front of her face. "Hold up!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "What's that got to do with anything? I thought we were talking about _you_!"

"Yoshino is pretty, too!" said Megumi affirmatively, but tilted her head to the side. "Well, you could start wearing some make-up and maybe layer-cut your hair — I'll lend you my brush and lip gloss if you want — but you should think about getting a boyfriend too!"

This was enough to make Yoshino involuntarily drop her cellular phone on her desk. "What do you mean by that?" she wondered in disbelief, tearing herself away from Megumi's sincere eyes.

"You don't really seem interested in love," piped up Megumi, folding her arms over her chest.

"_Really_," was all Yoshino could say, disinterest and neutrality evident in her voice, but as she assessed her recent actions, there had been some truth to their words. She never participated in the women's gossip about celebrity crushes, sex, and boyfriends, and had been so engrossed in her job that she didn't devote time into finding someone. At the same time, it had been years since... _no_, she frowned at the memory. She wished that the women hadn't paid so much attention to her, and if they began discussing her past boyfriends, surely _his_ name would pop up in the conversation.

"Maybe she _has_ a boyfriend _but_ she won't tell us!" suggested Megumi behind her hand to Miki, purposely making her voice loud enough for Yoshino to hear.

"_Oh_, that could be true," agreed Miki, nodding.

The short-haired woman gasped, eyes wide at a possibility in her mind. "What if it's _Thomas_?"

Miki's mouth formed an O, similarly shocked at the thought. "No!" she responded. "Don't even joke about that."

"Why? You've got a _boyfriend_." Yoshino noticed Megumi's smile turning upside-down as she said the last word of her sentence.

"This is different," justified Miki as-a-matter-of-factly. "Thomas is off-limits. He's too good for _anybody_."

That was _it_. _Way to bring up my self-esteem and then crush it again_, thought Yoshino sourly as she turned away from their conversation. _This is the worst._

Of course Yoshino knew they weren't serious — those eyes that went starry-eyed at the mention of Thomas also viewed him as the little brother they were proud of — but she couldn't help but feel the stab at her confidence. It definitely wasn't her style to look fashionable and gorgeous like Miki and Megumi, and she could attract a guy if she really tried, but other considerations like time and status doubted her relationship skills. It was just like that time when — _no_, she wasn't thinking about it again.

"But Yoshino, I could introduce someone to you," offered Miki generously, turning her attention towards the younger woman again. "I mean, of course, if that's what you _want_," she briskly added.

"Hey, don't take credit for everything!" Megumi cut in, mockingly glaring at her colleague. "Megumi wants to help too!" She turned to Yoshino with a brimming smile on her shiny pink lips. "So, Yoshino, if you want to talk to me, I'll be more than happy to help you!"

"Hey..." Yoshino raised up her hands for them to stop.

Megumi sighed softly, this time serious. There was no trace of humor in her usually peppy voice. "We just want you to be happy. You haven't been interested in love ever since—"

The danger alert sirened in Yoshino's mind, and she quickly moved to cover her blunder before Megumi spilled out the very memory she was trying to forget. "Yeah, yeah, I know," she interrupted, abruptly silencing Megumi before she mentioned _that_. The latter must have realized she offended her, because she looked a little startled.

"Look," started Yoshino quietly, hurriedly assuring Megumi that she wasn't angry. "I appreciate you helping me, but it's just not what I'm looking for right now." She firmly gazed at Megumi, and then Miki. "I hope you can respect that."

"Sure, sure, that's fine," murmured both of the women dismissively, obviously losing interest in the subject now that the conversation had turned awkward. Yoshino immediately felt awful for discouraging their passionately eager help, but fortunately, Megumi and Miki began rattling on another topic, this time about what Miki was going to wear to her date, as if the previous one had never happened.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet for Yoshino, and when night fell, it was just about time for Yoshino to leave. For some reason, she was looking forward to it more than she ever had in her life.

* * *

Yoshino never stayed out too long at night — she was a good girl, and being a reinforcement of the law gave her all the more of a conscience to give herself an unspoken curfew. Lalamon would be so proud of her if she knew this.

The first thing Yoshino did after changing out of her police uniform was to buy a take-out bentou at a Japanese restaurant. After Lalamon's departure, she had been too tired (or lazy) to cook dinner, and it was easier just buying something. It was a routine activity — Yoshino tried her best to remind herself to cook food to control her nutrition properly, but never got to the activity itself. Tonight, she justified herself by reminding herself that the latest episode of her favorite drama was on tonight.

She was 20 minutes early for her drama, and she leaned back on the small chair in her apartment's living room, stretching her long arms. As the television blared out random commercials, one commercial in particular that she didn't want to see began playing. It was only a short 15-second clip promoting an album, but this album was from a certain individual that brought back sad memories to her. It was enough to make someone normally composed like her crazy.

Everything was over. She could even start fresh with him after what had happened, and there was no huge obstacle standing between them. Why was she hesitating? _You probably won't get a chance to see him again_, she reminded herself.

Ironically, Yoshino had purchased the CD during her last visit to the bookstore, but had never gotten around to listening to it. She leaned over to a nearby shelf containing her books and CDs, tentatively reaching for it. After examining it in her hands, she figured, if she bought it, she should at least listen to it, right? Before Yoshino knew it, the plastic packaging found a place on the table and the CD was playing inside of her radio.

The first song began. He had gotten better than the last time she had heard him. With a soft sigh, she carefully opened her bentou and began eating.

_This is the worst._


End file.
